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Synopsis (from Goodreads):
If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?
After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.
A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.
Review:
I am a huge fan of E. Lockhart. Her books, such as We Were Liars, and Genuine Fraud, are unusual and creative. Her newest novel, Again, Again, is equally creative and moved in unexpected directions. I loved it.
What I Liked:
Format:The novel moves between several alternate universes. We see many difference scenarios played out as Adelaide makes small choices that affect the outcome of each story. This format was unexpected and a delight.
Characters:
Through all the different storylines, the two people who are consistently in all are Adelaide and her brother, Toby. Their relationship underpins each story. What makes their situation complicated is that Toby, two years younger than Adelaide, is a drug addict. This is heartbreaking, as he is only fourteen years old. There are varying degrees of anger, guilt, and concern between the two siblings. I was rooting for them to repair their relationship.
Story Themes:
This seemed, at first, to be a typical YA RomCom. Girl (on the rebound from her first boyfriend) meets Boy. Will they stay together? But, with E. Lockhart at the helm, the story becomes one that challenges YA romance tropes, and shows a much more realistic presentation of teen love lives. Most YA books have teens meeting the love of their lives in high school! How often does this actually happen? Most teens navigate through a series of crushes, dating, and short-term relationships, as they work out who they are and who they want to love.
I also love the emphasis on Adelaide's experiences with her family. Again, YA often presents only a teen's social relationships, without the context of one's family life. But what is happening in one's family has a direct effect on how we interact socially. I loved that the author recognizes how both family, and friends, influence young people.
All of these come together to show how they affect a teen's academic life. Adelaide is also dealing with possibly failing a class, which could affect her future college prospects. School is also a huge factor in how a student feels about themselves. Doing well, there is pride (and pressure to keep up your performance). But if you're struggling, it can be seriously damaging to your self-confidence. Adelaide feels guilty for failing, but reasons that her social and family dramas are good excuses for her difficulty in getting assignments done. This is true to life, and a huge influence on the experience of life as a teen, now.
Rating:
Release Date: June 2nd, 2020
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Page Length: 304 pages
Format: E-Book
Source: NetGalley
Recommendation: This is a wonderful book that challenges teen RomCom tropes.
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